When it comes to Martinis, Noilly's the vermouth with the best reputation. We're not quite certain why this aperitif's so esteemed, but we suspect that its earlier mixers - particularly such writers as Hemingway - have much to do with it. Chefs also tout it as the vermouth with the herbal tang that won't evaporate when heated. Invented around 1812 in France, Noilly hit the US shores in 1851, a decade or so before the first Martini was concocted.

Few bars will bother to stock Noilly, and some will serve it only on request - which translates into an extra 50 cents - but as W. Somerset Maugham said, "Noilly Prat is a necessary component of a dry Martini. Without it you can make a Sidecar, a Gimlet, a White Lady, or a gin and bitters, but you cannot make a dry Martini."